Photo by Rick Scibelli /News-Tribune
         Kernel of truth
After dumping more popcorn on him, Carrie McKee comforts her friend and fellow artist, Davin Heckman, during his performance Wednesday morning near the Lakewalk in Canal Park. Heckman clothed himself in a popcorn suit, positioned himself in the grass, then let the gulls peck at him. The event, called ``American Sky Burial,´´ was staged, in part, to fulfill McKee´s interdisciplinary studies curriculum requirement.

UMD senior's popcorn parody of American culture draws the curious -- and gulls -- to the Lakewalk

By Chris Casey
News-Tribune staff writer

All eyes -- most of them beady and black -- fixed upon a mummy-like form shrouded in popcorn.

 On a cold, windy morning, the gulls typically have full run of the Lakewalk in Canal Park. But on Wednesday, a group of onlookers -- whose frozen faces wore quizzical expressions -- joined the gulls in an inter-species group gape.

 All eyes, including the lenses of several media cameras, were focused on the human figure, covered from neck to ankles, in popcorn.

 Johanna Doty and Alicia Hudelson, both juniors at Duluth East High School, took in the spectacle during a morning jog. Asked what compelled them to take a look -- they ran three miles in the frigid conditions -- Doty said, ``Just the thought of somebody being covered in popcorn or buried in popcorn. It's sort of... I don't know what you would call it -- unusual.''

 Unusual might be an understated way to describe the performance art piece created by a pair of University of Minnesota-Duluth students.

 In need of a senior project to fulfill her curriculum as an interdisciplinary studies major, Carrie McKee took an idea from fellow student Davin Heckman and gave it academic wings, so to speak.

 Heckman, a graduate student in composition, said his initial idea was to ``just lay here in Canal Park, hang out and see what happens.'' And that's exactly what he was doing while being interviewed by nearly every Twin Ports media outlet.

 Every square inch of him -- save his head, back and feet -- was covered in popcorn. That happened to be his idea, too.

 McKee decided that by marrying Heckman's human corncob to a Tibetan burial she had read about would create a parody bordering on polemic. In other words, the material was perfect academic grist. McKee and Heckman are also making a documentary about their performance piece, complete with interviews with bemused onlookers.

 While hoping to make a social commentary through ``American Sky Burial,'' McKee said, ``mostly I just think it's funny.''

 McKee said she spent 100 hours hand-sewing each popped kernel into the tweedy suit worn by Heckman. Ten pounds of popcorn went into the project. All the labor proved worthwhile, in her view, as soon as Heckman lay upon a grassy mound between the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center and the lakeshore.

 ``They were swarming him,'' she said of the gull infestation just after 10 a.m. ``It was amazing. But then (the media) wanted to do interviews and they (the gulls) went away.''

 But as soon as the press cleared out, rooughly 100 gulls swooped back in on Heckman's prone frame, plucking away at the multitudinous morsels in a scene reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's classic film ``The Birds.''

 In an excerpt from her ``American Sky Burial'' Web site, which extensively explains the project, McKee noted that popcorn is ``quintessentially American. Its associations with entertainment and amusement are appropriate to the message of the piece.''

 So just what was the message?

 ``I think it's an important thing to find out the truth and what you believe,'' McKee said on the wind-whipped lakeshore. ``But I think it's a little shallow when people use religion for their own purpose rather than serving some higher purpose. But, whatever, it's fine.''

 The piece was an adaptation of the Tibetan Sky Burial, a sacred Buddhist funeral rite in which a corpse is devoured by vultures.

 McKee noted that Americans, in particular, have a tendency to incorporate Buddhist references into pop culture without showing any ``real devotion'' to the religion.

 But isn't her ``American Sky Burial'' somewhat exploitative in its own right?

 ``This is sort of doing that,'' McKee acknowledged. ``But it's a parody.''

 She added, ``What I'm critiquing is not religion, but how pop culture uses religion. I am (using religion), but that's part of the parody, I guess.''

 Tom Bacig, a UMD professor of humanities and classics in the sociology-anthropology department, initially balked at McKee's senior project proposal.

 ``I said, `You've got to be kidding,' '' recalled Bacig, one of two faculty advisers on the project.

 But his opinion soon changed as McKee began producing extensive research. He said the project melds a critique on American culture, a statement on anti-materialism and a compelling performance piece.

 Bacig noted that a student's capacity ``to imagine and create and do interesting and imaginative work needs to be encouraged and supported. And that's exactly what we did here.''

 The project is very ``tongue-in-cheek'' for McKee, he added. ``She did an excellent job of conceptualizing and executing this. She's quite a remarkable young lady with an absolutely wonderful sense of humor. If we can't laugh at ourselves, we're in a lot of trouble.''

 For Diane Martens, a Cornucopia, Wis., resident visiting Duluth, the performance art amounted mainly to an impressive gathering of gulls.

 ``I think it's kind of clever,'' Martens said. ``I don't think it should be carried out too often. But it's a good way to study the gulls.''

 Sarah Angst, a UMD senior and a friend of McKee's, shivered among a small group of viewers. She was intrigued and impressed by the piece. ``I think it's a great concept,'' Angst said. ``I think it'll make people think about how our culture tends to imitate other cultures.''

 As for Heckman, he wore a canvas bag over his head (no eyeholes) and braced against a wind chill of 7 degrees by wearing long underwear and gloves.

 ``My necktie, it had this yellow popcorn that they were going nuts for, so that got picked clean, and huge sections of my legs and arms,'' Heckman said.

 He was content to be a ``corpse'' for a couple of hours while gulls plucked the well-affixed kernels from his hide.

 ``It tickles, surprisingly,'' he said of the gentle pecking.
 

Chris Casey covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached weekdays at (218) 720-4109 or by e-mail at
ccasey@duluthnews.com